Golf is a game that has been popular for centuries. Part of the game's appeal comes from the fact that it is a "life sport". That is, forced retirement due to age is rare. One reason for this is that the player can, to a large extent, control the amount of energy expended during a round of golf. The most significant variable controlling the amount of work necessary to complete a round of golf is whether or not the golfer carries his own bag. In fact, it is possible to nearly eliminate the work factor by utilizing power carts to transport the golfer and equipment to the ball position.
If a golfer does not wish to maximize his exercise, and hence chooses not to carry his own bag around the course, he will generally use a golf cart. The other possibility is to enlist the aid of a caddy, but apart from the professional tour, where carts are not allowed, caddies are rarely available. Therefore, the average golfer who chooses to, or due to physical limitations must, minimize his energy expenditure will indeed use a golf cart.
Two primary types of carts are utilized by golfers. The first of these is utilized to carry only the equipment (bag, clubs, scorecard, etc.), while the second type transports the golfer as well. The golfer transport carts are motorized, powered by reciprocating fossil-fuel engines or by electricity, while the equipment transport carts may be motorized but are usually pulled manually. The manual pull carts reduce the lifting strain on the golfer's back and shoulders but retain the benefits of walking the course.
Although walking and either carrying a bag or pulling a cart are desirable for exercise and aesthetics, and usually result in more rapid play (for inexplicable reasons), many courses, primarily for the purpose of increasing revenue, now require power golfer transport carts. Accordingly, it is no longer possible to play all courses without utilizing a cart.
In order to effectively transport a bag of clubs about a golf course, the cart must have means to hold the bag in an upright position. Otherwise, the clubs might too easily leave the bag inadvertently. Accordingly, most carts are provided with some simple bracket device providing a receptacle for the base of the bag and some cinching means to secure the upper portion of the bag, thereby allowing the bag to be secured in an upright position.
Most types of bags can be secured effectively onto a cart. However, when a bag not specifically adapted for a cart is used, disadvantages can arise. For instance, if a "soft" (flexible) bag is used, the top will collapse when cinched. This greatly reduces the volume of the bag, and makes it difficult to reinsert clubs after they are used. As the use of soft bags is quite widespread due to the fact that they are much lighter than rigid bags, this can be a significant disadvantage.
Alternatively, if a rigid bag is used, it will certainly be heavier than a soft bag. Since the bag spends much of its time on the cart, this in not as major a disadvantage; however, the bag does have to be carried from the golfer's cart to the cart and vice versa, and to and from storage as well. Furthermore, if it is desired to utilize a manual pull cart, then it is desirable to minimize weight, since dragging a heavy cart up a steep hill can be more exercise than the golfer might wish. Accordingly, many golfers own both light carry bags and enormous, bulky and heavy cart bags. Such golfers go through considerable effort transferring clubs between bags, depending on the course and mode of transport.
In view of the above, it is clear there is a need for a bag with characteristics of both soft and rigid bags. The prior art contains some devices fitting that general description. The "Lightweight Golf Bag" of Clifford E. Cochran, U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,589, issued May 12, 1981, is one such device. The Cochran device teaches a soft bag portion disposed within a rigid external frame assembly. A similar device is the "Golf Bag Including Stiffening Structure" of Kim Y. Sup, U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,305, issued May 15, 1984. Another example in the prior art is the "Collapsible Golf Bag" of Young J. Suk, U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,039, issued Mar. 29, 1983. Both the Sup and Suk devices disclose soft bag portions reinforced by internal frame assemblies.
A disadvantage of a device with external framework such as the Cochran device is that it is not aesthetically pleasing. A further disadvantage is that the bag is not "streamlined", so that when it does become necessary to carry the bag in close quarters, there are unnecessarily many projections from the bag to be snagged in obstacles.
A disadvantage of the Sup and Suk devices is that the frameworks disclosed are flexible in nature, thereby being susceptible to the crushing that occurs with an ordinary soft bag.
None of the devices in the prior art disclose the requisite light weight combined with some characteristics of rigidity that are desirable for a bag adapted to be used with a cart, a "cart bag". Further, the prior art is lacking in means to allow such bags to be balanced comfortably when being carried by the golfer.